Tag Archives: jackfruit

Sri Lankan Jackfruit Curry

This is absolutely one of my favorite dishes and recipes from my SRI LANKA vegan cookbook & ebook! I make it often at home, and have cooked it up for many dinner parties, cooking shows, and it’s regularly featured at the cooking classes I do, too. It’s really easy to make and it’s one of those dishes that’s a real crowd-pleaser, for vegans, vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.

Strangely, Sri Lankan food is still not really that well-known in the world culinary scene — and the vegan scene, but it’s popularity and visibility has improved in the last few years. It’s kind of like jackfruit itself, which only recently has started to get really hyped and celebrated outside of Asia, where it has a long tradition and has been enjoyed for… well, practically forever! I suspect as Sri Lanka becomes more popular as a travel destination, more people will fall in love with the cuisine. Admittedly, I fell in love with Sri Lankan food about 10 years before my trip to Sri Lanka — there are some amazing Sri Lankan and South Indian eateries in Paris and Berlin that blew me away!

This Sri Lankan Jackfruit Curry is made with coconut milk, and it’s really creamy and intense. Jackfruit, kind of like plain tofu or tempeh or soy chunks (TVP), takes on the flavors of the sauce and marinade. The texture and freshness are amazing, and I enjoy it much more than the soy and faux-meat variations. (Which all work in this curry mix, too, btw!) You can use all kinds of coconut milk, or even make your own. If I buy coconut milk, I always try to get organic coconut milk with no weird additives and preservatives. In Germany, my favorite coconut milk is from Dr Goerg. It’s super rich and creamy, and combined with a little hit of coconut blossom syrup in the curry, this dish gets crazy delicious!

The main thing to know about cooking with jackfruit outside of Asia is: It’s easy to find! It’s inexpensive and really nothing bizarre. Almost every Asian import grocery store I’ve been to in the US, Canada, Germany, France, England, Holland and other parts of Europe, whether big city or little town, has Green Jackfruit (unsweetened!) in a can… but the yellow jackfruit which is primarily for sweet dishes and desserts is also usable, if you rinse off the syrup and adjust the spices / salt accordingly. Green jackfruit is the unripened, slightly tougher, less sweet fruit.

I had Jackfruit Curry in at least 10 different places in the 10 weeks I spent in Sri Lanka. Each restaurant and every family make it a bit different. I’ve also made lots of different variations on this one– sometimes sweeter, sometimes spicier, sometimes creamier, sometimes with other fun stuff like greens… or even pineapple!

The Lotus and the Artichoke – SRI LANKA! is on Kickstarter!

Today I launched my third Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign… for my third vegan cookbook full of recipes, stories, art, and photographs inspired by my world travels. This time it’s all about SRI LANKA, where I traveled for 10 weeks this last winter, eating and cooking everywhere possible, learning new cooking methods and spices, and getting to know the country, the people, and the traditions of Sri Lanka.

UPDATE: The Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign was extremely successful. The new cookbook has been printed and was released on November, 21, 2015.

How can you get a copy of my new cookbook?

Order The Lotus and the Artichoke – SRI LANKA (English or German) directly from Ventil Verlag!

or send me an email to order a signed copy of the cookbook with stickers & bookmark… directly from me.

My SRI LANKA Cookbook:

My 3rd cookbook of vegan recipes inspired by my travels, stays with families, and cooking in the kitchens of restaurants worldwide

160 pages – with over 60 full page color photos

Stories, art, and recipes inspired by 10 weeks of travel all over Sri Lanka

Explore diverse Sri Lankan cuisine from the capital, countryside, mountains and coastal towns, including South Indian Tamil specialties from the Northern and Eastern regions – only recently accessible since end of civil clashes in 2009